Eifelheim

By: Michael Flynn

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

In 1349, one small town in Germany disappeared and was never resettled. Tom, a contemporary historian, and his theoretical-physicist girlfriend, Sharon, become interested. By all logic, the town should have survived, but it didn't. Why? What was special about Eifelheim that it utterly disappeared more than 600 years ago?

In 1348, as the Black Death is gathering strength across Europe, Father Deitrich is the priest of the village that will come to be known as Eifelheim. A man educated in science and philosophy, he is astonished to become the first contact between humanity and an alien race from a distant star when their interstellar ship crashes in the nearby forest.

Tom, Sharon, and Father Deitrich have a strange and intertwined destiny of tragedy and triumph in this brilliant novel by the winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.

©2006 Michael Flynn (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award nominee, Best Novel, 2007

"Another meticulously researched, intense, mesmerizing novel...for readers seeking thoughtful science fiction of the highest order." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Flynn masterfully achieves an intricate panorama of medieval life, full of fascinatingly realized human and Krenken characters whose fates interconnect with poignant irony." (Publishers Weekly)
"Compellingly weaves past and present together in a dialog of faith and science....Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

Alien Castaways in History

This was a wonderfully conceived and thoughtful SF/Historical fiction novel... The placement of alien castaways in 14th century Europe is unique, and powereful... The friendships developed between aliens and the townspeople is heartwarming... The lot of the aliens is sad, but they accept and integrate, even religiously, sorta... Slow moving so won't appeal to those looking for action... It will appeal to those that enjoy well written byplay w/ deeply philosophical leanings...

Historical fiction meets SCI FI.

Absolutely offbeat marriage of historical fiction and sci fi, and it works. A modern day historian who, while involved in a research project, comes to believe aliens landed in medieval Europe, where most of this story takes place. Compelling sci fi with a richly detailed 14th century backdrop. Fascinating premise and reading.

Cleaver, sharp and a great all round listen

Would you consider the audio edition of Eifelheim to be better than the print version?

I really liked this book, the characters, the plot and the progression of the story. The author manages to wrap science fiction and history into a great read. I look forward to more of his imaginative works.

Interesting but...

The story line was quite interesting, and I enjoyed the interplay of past and present. At the end I felt questions were unresolved. But I felt the character development was shallow--leaving merely caricatures. I could never quite buy in to the dialog of the mysterious visitors.

Once I got into the story, it was worth the listen, but this is not the story I anticipated.

Bear this in mind...

For the reviewers who think that the word being said is equivalent to the English word for "he who inherits" - you are mistaken. The German word (this story is taking place in Germany) being used DOES pronounce the "H" and literally means "mister", is often used as an honorific and IS pronounced a bit like the word Hair.

Fantastic!

This was a fantastic listen. I was riveted. I highly recommend this one. I usually listen to these while cutting the yard or doing odd jobs around the house. I often found myself pausing and just standing around listening intently. It really grabs your attention and your imagination. Ecellent research and well developed characters make this a superb book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

The insight into medieval thinking was fascinating, particularly the rigorous logic of the scholar trying to fit something totally outside of his experience into his understanding of the universe. My favorite line: "Sharon didn't know she was a heretic until she smelled the smoke." That line occurs in the 21st century part of the book, not the 14th century part. The commentary on modern academia is another reason why I liked the book.

compassionate dark ages

I usually do not like science fiction set in the historical past. Invariability the characters end up meeting Abe Lincoln or someone like that. it just seems like a hokey literary device.

This book shows the "dark ages" and its inhabitants with compassion and human depth. This is wrapped around the unknowable question What if aliens did arrive on Earth in our past. These aliens did not build the pyramids or anything so fantastic they were just regular folks and after some time their "humanity" shows.

The present time setting, or a little in our future, was a little clunky but not too
bad; it allowed the reader to find out the truth
of the really interesting characters those of the
dark ages. And as it turns out not so dark after
all.

History and the future?

Where does Eifelheim rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Absolutely one of the best audio books I have heard in a very long time. The narration alone is worth the credit ( not surprisingly, as Heald is alway excellent ) but in this absolutely stunning. ( And difficult to do, once you listen you will understand.)

The juxstaposition of the past and present, with many connecting threads that are not always immediately evident, highly compelling charcters, and a story that pulls you in ( and keeps you in ) make this once of the "must listen" books I know of, not just in it's genre, but in general.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both the philosophers.

Which character – as performed by Anthony Heald – was your favorite?

They all work very very well, but the "visitors" he does especially well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The passings of the visitors was intense.

Any additional comments?

You must download and listen to this book.Do it for yourself. Do it for pleasure, and learning, but just do it. Now.

Slow

The plot line is unique, yet the story runs on. needs more action, less discription